Dave Davies

We are speaking with Carol Linning and Aaron Davis, two investigative reporters.

Their new book is Injustice, How Politics and Fear Vanquished America's Justice Department.

We'll continue our conversation after this break.

This is Fresh Air.

The other moment here that's interesting is in September of 22 when the investigation is finally underway, Merrick Garland, the attorney general, freezes both investigations.

Well, you explain why.

Exactly.

Right.

But what that meant was that, you know, dozens and dozens of agents, the spade work of filing subpoenas and interviewing witnesses, all that had to stop for a couple of months.

So Garland eventually names Jack Smith as special counsel because once Donald Trump is a candidate, we can't have the attorney general of the guy he's running against trying to put him in jail.

I mean that appears to be a conflict.

I got to say the stuff in the book about Jack Smith is very interesting how when he's hired, he's in a hospital in – where was it?

The Netherlands?

He had a terrible leg injury and then just –

manages to just push himself through and get all this done.

They filed the election interference case in August of 2023.

Now, that's a few months before the presidential election.

And the judge, Judge Chutkin, sets a trial date for April of 2024, which is right in the middle of the primary campaign.

That's just really not a good look, is it?

You know, on that point, we haven't yet really talked about the documents case that grew from President Trump's taking a lot of documents from the White House and then when asked for them back by the National Archives, you know, delaying and dissembling and misleading.